What’s Cooking David Chang?

SWIPE TO BROWSE THIS LIST

Who is David Chang, you might ask? At face value, he is the head of the Momofuku empire, boasting four restaurants and five sister locations in New York, one in Sydney and two slated to open in Toronto in August. Since 2004, he has amassed multiple James Beard awards, two Michelin stars for Ko, a spot amongst Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2010 and over 40,000 followers on Twitter. He also managed to publish a cookbook with former NY Times writer Peter Meehan somewhere in there. But the most impressive accolade on Chang’s record is that he has managed to stay cool. His level of omnipresence could be making the competition sweat. Most of his locations are downtown or in Brooklyn (avoiding traditionally preferential fine dining reservation policies), writing inventive uncompromising menus for his restaurants, and inviting ?uestlove to cook chicken for charity in his restaurant. The newest edition to the Momofuku family is in line with this attitude—Lucky Peach a magazine for those who think food is cool.

Why does Lucky Peach win where other mags (like Conde Naste’s Gourmet, which tanked in 2009) failed? LP thrives where Gourmet did not by re-focusing away from the gourmet. The mag’s connection to its super popular guru, Momofuku’s star chef David Chang, doesn’t hurt either.

Lucky Peach‘s creators made a pretty niche quarterly for fans of magazines and put a $10 price tag on it. Over the course of the last year—the first issue sold for $85 in an eBay auction. This publication’s content is focused specifically on its audience—the food fan, or foodie (I hate that word). LP speaks to the food hobbyist, who wants to learn more about food in general. This guy is only interested in the classiest delicacies made by the most “in” chefs. Food fandom has recently become some kind of powerful being, reaching across media outlets over the past decade, moving from Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray to Top Chef and No Kitchen Required.

On May 20th, David’s smörgåsbord of projects expands into an event at Momofuku’s noodle bar, with special guest ?uestlove, cooking his signature drum sticks. If you’re trying to grab a ticket, better luck next time. The event sold out in 30 seconds when it was advertised @Cook4Quest on Twitter. Feast your eyes (not your stomachs) on the flyer below.